The Oberlin African-American Genealogy & History Group will sponsor a public lecture by Ric S. Sheffield on Saturday, April 7, 2007, 11:00 a.m., at the historic Oberlin Railroad Depot, 240 South Main Street, Oberlin. Mr. Sheffield will speak on “The Community Within: Discovering African-American History in Rural Ohio.” Many rural areas in Ohio have long established black communities that are often invisible to the larger white communities in which they reside. This program relates the adventure of reclaiming the lost history of African-Americans in Knox County, Ohio and explains the benefits of including minority populations within celebrations of heritage. Mr. Sheffield is Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Sociology at Kenyon College and Director of the Law and Society Program. His research has focused on the relationship between the law and issues of gender, race and ethnicity. He has lectured widely on issues of race and the law, as well as African Americans in rural Ohio. The program is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Funding for this program was made possible by the Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Phyllis Yarber Hogan